‘Rising violence ‘ll not derail us’

The Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Security Challenges in the North and Minister of Special Duties, Alhaji Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, yesterday assured that the current rising security challenges in the country would not interfere with the work of the committee.

Speaking with State House correspondents after the committee’s meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan, he said their desire and intention to get to the root of the crisis had not been affected by the recent events in the country.

According to him, the presidential committee is now well positioned to face the rising challenges in the North.

While stressing that the committee is yet to establish contact with Jama’a, Turaki said negotiation does not mean that every party will get what it wants as there must be give and take in the process.

On whether the current violence will deter the committee, he said: “I would not want to speak on this thing because there is a lot of dimension into it. It is something that the committee has still not considered. But what I can say on that is that the past events have not in any way derailed our programme. They have not derailed our resoluteness, resolution, desire and intention to get to the root of this problem.”

The Minister said the fact that there is ongoing dialogue does not mean that there will not be differences.

Said he: “So, there is peace not only in the Middle East including even the Far East. What we are saying is that we are convinced that with all the efforts we are making, we will now be able to arrive at the middle course. Of course, dialogue does not mean there would be absence of differences.”

Responding to a question on when he plans to meet Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau, he said: “I cannot tell you that now because you will agree with me that it will not be in the committee’s own interest and it will not be in the interest of the processes for us to begin to disclose how, what and when we want to do these things.”

He went on: “Similar efforts in the past were said to have had problems here and there because before you reach an appreciable height, you have people running their mouth, saying things they ought not to say. We want to keep things as secretive as possible not because we do not want the public to know about them, but because we feel that we have not got to the level yet where the public will be given those details of what we are doing.”

Besides meeting the President yesterday, Turaki said the committee would meet governors, traditional rulers, clerics and leaders of the frontline states.

“We will meet the governors, traditional rulers, leaders of the frontline states, the clergy. We will go and inspect the epicentres of this crisis, see the people that have had casualties, see the victims because do not forget that part of our responsibility and recommendations we will make is for a Victims Support Programme. So, unless we are able to get to the field and see these stakeholders, discuss and take useful information from them like we have done from this other side also, our work will not be balanced.”

On whether the committee will conclude its assignment within the time frame, he said: “What we have been doing now is laying the foundation and unless we lay a strong foundation you may have problems. I am satisfied and convinced that we are still on course and that we are still working within the time frame. What will happen tomorrow I do not know, but for now I know we are on course. We are on target.”